Indigenous African soil enrichment as a climate-smart sustainable agriculture alternative
Date
2016-03Author
Solomon, Dawit
Lehmann, Johannes
Fraser, James A.
Leach, Melissa
Amanor, Kojo
Frausin, Victoria
Kristiansen, Søren M.
Millimouno, Dominique
Fairhead, James
Metadata
Show full item recordImpact
Abstract
We describe for the first time a current indigenous soil management system in West Africa, in which targeted
waste deposition transforms highly weathered, nutrient- and carbon- poor tropical soils into enduringly
fertile, carbon- rich black soils, hereafter “African Dark Earths” (Af DE ). In comparisons between Af DE and
adjacent soils ( AS ), Af DE store 200–300% more organic carbon and contain 2–26 times greater pyrogenic carbon
(PyC). PyC persists much longer in soil as compared with other types of organic carbon, making it
important for long- term carbon storage and soil fertility. In contrast with the nutrient- poor and strongly
acidic ( pH 4.3–5.3) AS , Af DE exhibit slightly acidic ( pH 5.6–6.4) conditions ideal for plant growth, 1.4–3.6
times greater cation exchange capacity, and 1.3–2.2 and 5–270 times more plant- available nitrogen and phosphorus,
respectively. Anthropological investigations reveal that Af DE make a disproportionately large contribution
(24%) to total farm household income despite its limited spatial extent. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) aging of
PyC indicates the recent development of these soils (115–692 years before present). Af DE provide a model for
improving the fertility of highly degraded soils in an environmentally and socially appropriate way, in
resource- poor and food- insecure regions of the world. The method is also “climate- smart”, as these soils
sequester carbon and enhance the climate- change mitigation potential of carbon- poor tropical soils.
Citation
Solomon, D. et al., (2016) Indigenous African soil enrichment as a climate-smart sustainable agriculture alternative. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 71-76. Washington, D.C.: Ecological Society of America.DOI
10.1002/fee.1226More details
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fee.1226Rights holder
Ecological Society of AmericaCollections
- IDS Research [1661]